I don't know of a way, but have an idea. Look at the tax records and use the same percentages as tax records generally lists them separate and adds for a total.

Not sure how accurate it is, but would get you an idea at least.

When you have that much land it's considered acreage in most places. Naturally, a house with several acres attached is worth more than one on a postage stamp sized lot. Just how much more depends on the desirability of the land, which can be affected by many factors.

Lyfia offers a good suggestion.

I should also add that if the house is not up to the normal size and quality standards of the area, it may actually drag the value of the land down.

You should be sure to have a boundary survey done if you are serious about a house on other than a standard city lot. Even then, it's a good idea.

Looking at tax records doesn't help much, I think. The tax records show most land values around the same amount (+/- a small percentage) regardless of size.

Example: The lot in question is 4.3ac valued at $270k. 2 abutters are 0.9 ac values at ~$215. Another abutter is $235 for 3.3ac, and $240 for 5ac, and $140 for 1.7ac.

Most of the houses are same age and size, but a couple are 12yo McMansions that are 2-3x the size.

Have any vaccant lots sold in the area lately? That would give you an idea of what the land is worth.

I live in New England, the nearest vacant lot is somewhere near Pittsburgh. ;)

Unimproved land sales are rare in these parts, but that is a good idea to research, thanks. Similar question on land pricing though: I know houses are usually priced at some amount per sq ft. Is land usually priced the same? If I see one price for a half acre lot, do I double that to calculate a price for a full acre?

Pricing on lots befuddles me. I've seen the rare infill lot in my city, usually 8000-10,000 sq ft, sell for a quarter mil. The next couple towns over where there's a tad more land, I've seen 3ac lots sell for $1.2mil to a developer to build 4 or 5 houses on it. Is that the "going rate" regardless of the intended use? I understand the developer will make the money back by subdividing. But if I'm just going to have a single house on that lot, how is that price justified? supply and demand, I guess. It's discouraging.

There might be a possibility of the lot being subdivided into approx 4 acres size lots. This would make the home a tear down and the property would be priced according to the value of 4 lots. this could make the property be worth more than the other nearby homes, based on land value alone.

This may or may not be allowed, and even if it is allowed, there might be some engineering, surveying and replatting needed in order to separate the lots. Also access to each lot is needed (either via road access or easements). And setbacks/rules need to be adhered to for each lot.

The local municipality would be able to assist as to whether the lots are able to be split out.

Sometimes, an astute person can buy the property for a value and then split up and make a decent profit. This is especially true if it is not obvious to others that the property is subdividable and if the agent does not market it as such.

Sometimes a rezone can be done , even if it is not currently allowed.

Lot prices are affected mainly by desirability, with larger lots being naturally more desirable. But there are other factors, such as treed versus bare, proximity to noise sources, buildability, water courses (usually desirable, but not always, if one turns the property into a swamp), views or lack of them, distance to town, restrictions, etc. The list goes on and on.

The best thing you can do is to look at a lot of lots to get a sense of what is worth what in your area. You simply need to educate yourself.

all very good answers in these posts.

In my area if its subdividable its with something extra, if it isn't there is very little "extra" in the value. Of course, by me the lots are much smaller but for example

minimum building lot in my area is 50X100 for existing houses, new construction its 60X100.

By me, lots, and houses where the value is in the double lot, have taken a big hit recently as there isn't as many builders building on speculation.

my newly purchased house is on 65X120 an oversized lot, in real terms, it might add $10K 3% to the price vs a 50X100 on an existing house.

Even a house with a 70X200 lot, if you can't divide it would only be worth marginally more than a standard lot, however if it were 140X100 with 140 of street access, now your talking significantly more money for the same sqft.

You also have to look at how the land can be used. In my subdivision (I'm on about 2.5 acres) we are allowed a certain number of horses per acre. So 4 acres is much more desirable than 1 acre for someone who wants to have more than one horse. Our tax authority does give valuations for land value that do vary very directly with acreage size.

You should take to a real estate agent in the area you are in to get a feel for how acreage is valued by buyers.

"I live in New England, the nearest vacant lot is somewhere near Pittsburgh."

This would make the value of a dividable 4 acres VERY high.

I live in Northern Virginia outside Washington, DC.

Empty lots are few and far between, and often run $500k and higher.

Tear downs of small one story crawl space homes and building a larger house on a sixth acre lot are becoming common.

The house value is often less than $50,000, while the lot is well over $400,000.

I have almost 4 acres and some lots in my neighborhood have only the 2 acre minimum, but my lot is not worth twice what their lot is worth. In my case, my lot is not subdividable. Think of it this way, the minimum lot size is worth X (with add-ons for view, cul de sac, nice terrain, etc.; then subtract for things people find undesirable, such as a busy street). But that value only applies to the minimum required lot size. Additional square footage is worth less per square foot until you reach the level where it is subdividable. In my case, my lot originally sold for $120,000 and the smaller lot for $90,000 (this was years ago, when there were no houses).

Now, if the lot if subdividable it is not worth twice what the minimum lot size is worth because there is a cost (actual cost plus inconvenience cost) to do that. So, if the 10,000 sf lot is worth $100,000, the 20,000 sf lot is worth less than $200,000 because someone has to pay for surveying, town meetings, etc.

You need to know if the lot is subdividable, and if the house would have to be torn down for that to happen.

Depending on where you are, that extra acreage could be quite valuable, or it could be not so...all depending on land values. Believe it or not, land is not expensive everywhere in New England. Check out northern ME, NH and many parts of VT, also western Mass.

There is also the risk factor. Lets say a lot doesn't quite meet the requirements to subdivide it. But a savvy developer may know an "in" or may be willing to pursue buying a sliver off an abutter (or even buying the abutter's house and tearing them all down). The seller thinks he just has a lot with extra acreage that can't be divided off, but the develper is willing to take a chance. My DH once purchased a lot cheap because much odf it was in a flood plain (buildable, but expensive to insure, so dragging the value down). But as an engineer he knew that flood map was wrong and spent the time and money to have the map amended, doubling the value of the lot.

It's not a science.

If the lot is not able to be sub divided (CCR's etc.) then large lots can actually end up being more undesirable and actually worth less than a smaller lot. We live in a small neighborhood of 4 acre lots with selling prices ranging from 250-300K (it's the South, and the $ goes a long way). The next neighborhood over with similar age and size homes but on half acre lots sells for about 15% more. Fewer people want the responsibility for keeping up larger acreages nowadays, thus it's actually worth less than the smaller acreage.

On the other hand, a similar sized smallish development a few miles away with much older homes and more acreage sells for substantially more because there are no restrictions on subdividing. Several developers have bought adjacent homes and done teardowns and placed 40 home lots on space that previously held 1 home.

In our area the per acre price would not be the same. Most lots in my town are 1-2 acres. These are going for roughly $75-80K. I have a 5 acre lot and it is not even worth double that value.

When it is time to sell my house, my house may be more desirable because of the extra acreage (more land for horses) but how much of a premium I can charge would be limited to the market and how much somebody wants the extra acreage (and can afford it).